Page 64 of Bright Dark Curses

“Blackmail!”

“Cooperation.”

“Fine. I’ll vote for the demon. Now leave me alone.”

I gave Dru a thumbs up before returning my attention to the evil crone. “Say, Ms. Dorsey, is it true an actress from the movie is staying here?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I waggled my eyebrows. “I think we both know Lydia Lee is a guest. Is she as much of a diva as rumored?”

“She’s a perfectly nice woman,” Dorsey said primly.

“Found anything interesting in her room?”

Dorsey let out a gasp that would’ve made her Madame Mystique persona proud. “What are you insinuating?”

I leaned in. “Come now, Ms. Dorsey, we both know you like to nose around your guests’ rooms. What did you find?”

“I would never encroach on the privacy of my guests.”

She sounded very convincing. If not for the fact that her encroaching on the privacy of her guests had solved our mystery man’s identity problems a few weeks back. “But if you happened to go inside the room to change sheets or drop a package or something… Well, I’m sure someone as perceptive as you might’ve noticed if something was amiss.”

“I don’t like what you’re implying, Avery.” She discreetly checked our surroundings, then leaned forward. “But I heard she uses dark magic to keep herself looking so young,” she said in a whisper that went down my ears like rusted nails on a chalkboard.

Fighting a shudder, I nodded encouragingly. “You checked her makeup bag?”

“I made sure her belongings hadn’t been tampered with,” she corrected in a chiding tone.

“And?”

“She has some unmarked bottles with her.”

Dark magic potions? “Herbs and crystals too?”

“I don’t go through all my guests’ belongings, Avery.”

More like she hadn’t had the opportunity yet without making it too obvious. “Of course not.”

“We done here now?” She brandished her phone. “I need to get my Korean streak done.”

“Sure. Thank you so much. We’ll see you on Thursday?”

Dorsey grumbled something unintelligible that I took to mean of course, wouldn’t miss it for the world, Dru’s shop will be the best thing ever, and waved us away.

Once outside, Dru eyed the bed and breakfast thoughtfully. “What do you think?”

“I hate to admit it, but learning languages during the lulls is a lot smarter than playing games on my phone.”

Dru harrumphed. “About Lee.”

“Unmarked bottles are never not suspicious.”

“Worth checking out.”

Lydia Lee had just become our number one suspect. I studied the blue-and-white facade and the front windows. “Tonight?”

“When else? You gave Key one day.”

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